Content Creator and Career Writing Editor
So you’re ready to become a Construction Project Manager! To achieve this goal, you need to find the right role and write the best resume you can to show a prospective employer that you’re a great fit.
How to Sort Through the Job Description
Before diving into writing a resume, it’s important to understand the job description for this particular role. A job description outlines the expected responsibilities and skills necessary to obtain the position. The best resumes are specifically tailored to the specific job you are applying to. So what does the role typically entail and what clues can the job description give you for preparing your Construction Project Manager resume?
Detail 1: Construction Project Manager Titles
The first key part of the job description is the title itself. While it may be simplistic to just say “Construction Project Manager”, there are other key phrases that can give you insights into what more niche projects or skills the role will entail. For example:
- Commercial Construction Project Manager – a Commercial Construction Manager works on projects including offices, education facilities, medical facilities, and more — basically anything other than single-family homes. The Commercial Construction Project Manager will have more stakeholders to consider in the project, know how to respond to RFPs or RFIs, and be aware of federal and state regulations for a given project type.
- Residential Construction Project Manager – a Residential Construction Project manager may work on smaller projects but at a higher volume. Or, for some organizations, they may oversee multiple small sites at one time, managing multiple teams.
- Office Construction Project Manager – Some corporations with large offices will hire an Office Construction Project Manager to oversee in-house construction projects. An Office Construction Project Manager may have different stakeholders as they need to understand the organization’s business needs and how their physical building projects accommodate their work.
If the titles aren’t specific or narrowly tailored, look at the organization itself . Two questions you can ask yourself are:
- What types of specific projects do they work on and where?
- Do they specialize in a particular style of architecture or focus on environmentally friendly projects?
These details can help you highlight particular experiences you’ve had.
Why is knowing this important?
Knowing the job title is helpful for your resume because it can help you narrow which of your projects and experiences you should highlight. For example, if you are preparing a resume for a Residential Construction Project Manager, you may focus more heavily on high-volume projects you’ve worked on. Even potential volunteer experience with Habitat for Humanity could stand out on your resume.
Additionally, knowing different job titles can help diversify and increase your applications. You don’t have to search for only one title to find your dream job. Comparing tasks, skills, and projects could potentially introduce you to job titles you’ve never seen before. Thus giving you the opportunity to expand your search.
Detail 2: Key Responsibilities and Skills
After looking at the job title, look at the Key Responsibilities a person in this role will take on. Here are some of the key responsibilities many Construction Project Manager Job Descriptions list:
- Project Management: This includes planning and executing projects through brainstorming, design, planning, construction, and validation.
- Managing a Budget: You should be able to make estimates on project costs. Additionally, when those estimates are accepted, you have to stick within a budget.
- Managing a Team: This includes both identifying how many people are needed to execute a project and also managing those people in bringing the project to fruition.
- Negotiating Vendor and Subcontractor Contracts: Identify partners who can support the project and stay within budget.
- Communication: Can you operate as the liaison between the construction team and the business team. They must consistently communicate to report on progress.
- Compliance: Any construction project has necessary building codes and regulations that need to be followed. It’s the job of the Construction Project Manager to ensure compliance.
Why is knowing this important?
Not all roles will include all the skills and responsibilities listed above. There could be someone else responsible for something; whereas, in other companies the project manager is responsible for that task. So, make sure you pay attention to the job description. That way, you can highlight your experiences executing a particular skill or responsibility in your past roles. For example, if compliance is a key responsibility listed in the description, make sure you include it on your resume.
What if there’s a skills gap?
If there is a skill gap on your resume — like if you’ve never managed a team before — think of ways you can address that gap. Have you taken a management training course from a professional development organization? Maybe you have managed a group in a volunteer capacity rather than a professional one. Have you been a group leader on a project even if they were technically your peers? Even if you haven’t had a skill in your official job description before, it’s still important to find ways to display your competence or potential. It’s your job to convince your potential employer why you are qualified to do it, and you do that by showing it on your resume.
Pro Tip: If there is a skills gap that can be addressed through volunteering or certification, it is highly suggested to invest in your professional development. If you do, be sure to list that on your resume and be ready to talk about it in your interview.
Detail 3: Required Previous Experience
A job description will typically list requirements based on years of previous experience. But don’t worry. If they ask for five years or more years of experience, but you only have three or four, you should apply anyways – especially if you have experience with each of the required skills. You’ll just need to make sure you can convince the hiring manager that your experience and skills are up to par.
On the other hand, there are instances where even if you have the correct number of years of experience, you should debate applying. Say for example, the job description requires three years of experience. If you have four years, then you may get really excited. However, if those four years are in the wrong specialty, you may not be a good fit. Luckily, there are questions you can ask yourself when deciding if you should go through the trouble of applying.
- “Are my skills and experience from my previous position transferable to this position?”
- “Can I prove that these skills are similar and relevant enough to be successful in this role?”
Additionally, other things that may cause you to reconsider applying is if the job description is specific about educational requirements. In this, sometimes employers see proper education, certification, or training as experience. So if your education requirements do not match with the job, but you decide to apply anyway, you should have years of experience in the field and skills to back up why you may be successful in that role.
Building a Construction Project Manager Template
Formatting
The structure and organization of your resume may differ depending on your past experiences. If you have significant prior work experience, your jobs will take up the majority of your resume. If you’re newer to the industry or a recent graduate, you’ll want to give more space on your Construction Project Manager resume to certifications, education, skills or other non-professional experiences that make you a good fit for the role.
General formatting rules state that:
- Your experiences should be in reverse-chronological order, with your most recent experiences listed first
- You should have large headings and legible font
- Your resume should only be 1-2 pages max
- Proofread to eliminate as many typos and errors as possible
Construction Management Resume Template
Check out the following templates for each section of your resume:
HEADER First and Last name Current Title Email Address|Mailing Address|Phone Number|LinkedIn URL RESUME SUMMARY [This section is written out as a sentence or two introducing yourself. It should be short and sweet - how many years of total experience do you have and what are the most important skills that you want to make sure no one misses.] PROFESSIONAL HISTORY Most Recent Job Title Organization Name Start Date - End Date [1-2 sentence paragraph to generally describe your role in the company]
Construction Project Manager Resume Sample Tips
As you go to fill in your resume, you should remember to include as many metrics as you can. For a construction manager resume, you can share
- How many people you managed
- What size of budget you’ve managed
- How fast you completed key projects
- How many vendors or subcontractors you oversaw
- Any other key results that show the impact you’ve had
Construction Management Resume Sample
Jane Smith Assistant Project Manager Jane.Smith@gmail.com|123 Main Street, Boston, MA|123-456-7890 LinkedIn - LinkedIn.com/jane_smith Motivated Assistant Project Manager ready to move into a more senior role. Experience in both residential and commercial projects with a specialty in sustainable construction
PROFESSIONAL WORK HISTORY Assistant Project Manager ABC Construction Company Sept. 2019 - Present
Construction Project Manager Jobs x City
Despite high stress levels and low flexibility, construction project managers are considered to have the best jobs in the construction industry. Here are some of the highest paying cities to find a construction management job.
